Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1887-06-21
CHAPTER XIII



spare boots into my Gladstone bag also we
took our rsvolvers and an express rifle each,
together with n good supply Of ammunition
precaution to which, under Providence, wo
subsequently owed our lives over and over
again. Tho rest of our gear, together with
our heavy rifles, we left behind us
A few minutes before tho appointed time
we once more attended in Ayesha's boudoir
and found her also ready, her dark cloak
thrown over her winding sheet like wrap
pings.
"Are ye prepared for the great vcnturoi"
she said
awe are" answered, "though for my
| part, Aycsha, l have no faith in it."
"Ah, my Holly" she said, "thou art OF
truth like those old Jews-of whom the
memory plaques me solely--ubeliovin and
hard TO accept that which they have not seen.
But thou shalt see; for unless my mirror
yonder lies"-and she pointed to the font Of
crystal water-"the path is yet open as it was
OF old time. And now let us start upon the
new life which shall end-who knoweth
whereP
"Ah,n echoed, "who knoweth wherei" and
| we passed. down into the Central cave and out
into the light OF day. At the mouth OF the
cave we found single litter with six bearers
all of them mutes, waiting, and with them /
was relieved TO see our old friend Bllali, for
whom had conceived a sort OF affection. 1t
appeared that, for reasons not necessary to
explain at length, Ayesha had thought it best
that, with the exception of herself, we should
proceed on foot, and this we were nothing
loath to do, after our long confinement in
caves, which, however suitable they might DO
for sarcophagi-a singularly inappropriate
word by the way, for those particular tombs,
which certainly did not consume the bodies |
given to their keeping-were depressing hab- |
itatioTis for breathing mortals like ourselves. |
Either by accident or by the orders of She |
the space in front Of the cave where we had |
beheld that awful dance was perfectly clear
OF spectators. Not soul was TO be seen, and |
consequently do not believe that our depart |
une was known to anybody, except, perhaps, |
the mutes who waited on She and they were, \
of course, in the habit of holding their tongues |
as to what they saw
In few minutes we were stepping out |
sharply across the great cultivated plain or |
lake bed, framed like vast emerald In its |
setting of frowning cliff, and had another OPP |
portunity Of wondering at the extraordinary |
nature Of the site chosen by these old people |
Of Kor for their capital, and at the marvellous
amount Of labor, ingenuity and engineering |
skill that must have been brought into requi-
sition by tue founders Of the city TO drain so
huge sheet OF water and to keep Ii clear OF
subsequent accumulations. 1t is, indeed, so
far as my experience goes, an unequaled in
stance Of what man can do in the face OF
nature, for in my opinion such achievements
as the Suez canal or even the Mont Gents tun-
mel do not approach this ancient undertaking |
In magnitude.
When we had been walking for half an
hour, enjoying ourselves exceedingly In tho
delightful cool which about this time Of the
day always appeared to descend upon the
great plain Of Kor, and in some degree atoned
for the want of any land or sea breeze, for all
wind was kept of by the rocky mountain
wall, we began to get clear view of what
Billali had informed us were the ruins of
great city. And even from that distance wo
could SEQ how wonderful those ruins were,
fact that with every step we took became
more evident.
Presently we came to an enormous pile,
which We rightly took to be a temple, cover
ing at least four acres Of ground, apparently
arranged in a series Of courts, each one inclos-
ing another of smaller size, on the principle
of Chinese nest Of boxes, and separated one
from the other by rows OF huge columns
At the facade Of this huge temple, which,
/ should imagine, is almost as large as that Of
FL Karnac at Luxor, some OF the largest
columns, which measured, being between
eighteen and twenty feet in diameter at the
base, by some sixty feet in height, our little
procession was halted, and Ayesha descended
from her litter.
"rherc used to be spot here, Kallitrates,5
she said to Leo, who had run up 10 lift her
down. -where ope might Sleep Two thou
sand years ago did thou and and that
Egyptian snake rest therein, but since then
have not set foot here, nor any man, and
perchance It has fallen" and followed by the
rest OF us. sho passed up d vast flight Of
broken and ruined steps into the outer court,
and looked round into the gloom. Presently
she seemed to recollect, and, walking few
PAGES along the wall to the left, halted.
ut Is here" she said, and at the same time
beckoned to the two mutes, who were loaded
with provisions and our little belongings, to
advance. One of them came forward, and
soon produced a lamp and Lit 1t from his
brazier, for the Amahagger when on jour
ney nearly always carries with them little
lighted brazier, from which to provide fire.
The finder Of this brazier was made Of broken
fragments OF mummy carefully damped and
IL the admixture Of moisture was properly
managed, this unholy compound would
smoulder away for hours. As soon as the
lamp was lit we entered the place before
which Ayesha had stopped. It turned out to
be chamber followed IN the thickness of
the wall, and, from the fact Of there still
being massive stone table in II, should
think that it had probably served as a living
room, perhaps for one Of the doorkeepers OF
the great temple.
Here wo stopped, anil after cleaning tho
place out and making 1t as comfortable as
circumstances and the darkness would per-
init, we cat some cold meat, at least Leo, Job
and did, for Ayesha, as think havo said
elsewhere, never touched anything except
fruit and water Whilst we werc eating, tho
moon, which was at her full, rose above tho
wall, and began 10 flood the
place with silver.
iiTo gE coxTTErED.l